by Edg Adrian A. Eva, Reporter
The Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday that it is considering a single-dose Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for young female students to expand immunization coverage.
During a media conference in Bataan, Dr. Carmina Paz Vera, Medical Officer IV of the DOH, said the agency received a recommendation from the World Health Organization about the single-dose HPV vaccine, as studies indicate, it has nearly the same efficacy as the standard two or three doses.
“The evidence for this is based on multiple cohort studies and follow-up studies. They administer the vaccine to girls at a certain age and then conduct follow-up studies after 10 or 12 years,” Ms. Vera said in both mixed English and Filipino.
“They found that the efficacy level based on the one-dose regimen was mostly the same as that of the two-dose regimen.”
Countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and other Western nations have already implemented the one-dose HPV vaccine, Ms. Vera said.
In the Philippines, the DOH is expected to finalize its advisory on the one-dose regimen in the third or fourth quarter of 2025, after consultations with independent local experts, Ms. Vera told BusinessWorld.
“We are receptive to the WHO’s recommendation to shift to a one dose because if we able to shift to one, we can have wider reach—not just for the public but also for private sectors and other age groups that the vaccine can cover,” Ms. Vera said in both mixed English and Filipino.
As of January 6, the DOH announced that it is already more than halfway to its target of vaccinating over one million Grade 4 students with the first dose of the HPV vaccine.
In other news, the DOH also eyes expanding its school-based immunization (SBI) program to private schools to reach more young female students.
Ms. Vera told BusinessWorld the DOH is currently in talks with the Department of Education to determine the total number of students in private schools and which schools will receive allocations, given the limited supply.
She added that the agencies have yet to determine which regions will receive the vaccination, but they aim to roll out the expanded SBI in the upcoming school year.